


Compromise

by MadelineL



Category: Voltron: Defender of the Universe because 'Lion Force' is literally nothing in existence
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Crying Lotor, Difficult Decisions, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Forced Political Marriage, Mildly Dubious Consent, Politics, Sexual Content, Sick Lotor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-06 08:04:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17341670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadelineL/pseuds/MadelineL
Summary: During a terrible Arusian rainstorm, Lotor shows up and gives Allura an ultimatum.





	1. The Problem

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this months ago and completely forgot about it!

Sleet and cold rain had been pelting the windows for days. Princess Allura stood in her warm room, watching the storm rage outside through her large windows. She wished it was the work of some evil magic, but it was just typical weather in the middle of their autumn season. Nobody had arrived to the castle for days because of it. Native Arusians knew storms could be bad this time of year, and any outside crafts had been redirected and delayed, not able to safely land near the castle. Those reasons made the sudden chiming of a non-hostile arrival alert in her room all the more perplexing. After blinking in confusion to the noise, she raced down towards the entrance to the castle to see who was possibly trying to gain entry.

Getting closer to the main entrance, she heard arguing. Coming up to the door, she could see three of her pilots clustered around.

“Absolutely not!” Keith bellowed at the door, looking through a side window.

“What the hell? Are you sure it’s even him?” she heard Lance ask sounding incredibly agitated.

“Yes, I can see his ugly skull buckle through the rain. Hunk, he’s not listening to me, go out and kick him into the moat.”

_Lotor._

What was he doing here?

Keith heard her footsteps and turned to face her. He was clearly furious.

“Princess, that scum is outside demanding an audience,” he spat out.

Lance looked at her, a concerned look on his face. “He wants to be let in because _‘it’s cold.’_ Like his heart isn’t colder than the deepest empty space.”

Allura stood shocked. The Prince of Doom was on her doorstep, politely asking to be let in from the rain? What on Arus was going on?

“Keith, it’s policy to let anyone in who requests… aid.” She paused, trying to wrap her mind around the situation. “Open the doors.”

The wide eyed guards looked at her for a moment, looked to Keith, and when he said nothing, unlocked and opened the large doors.

The icy wind blowing through the entrance nearly knocked Allura off her feet. But she was determined to appear as regal as possible. In the end it didn’t matter. Prince Lotor shuffled his way inside the doors, and his attention was on anything but how she was standing.

Behind him was an honor guard of four drule soldiers. Allura wasn’t watching them, however. Her attention was all on Lotor. He was hugging himself, shivering, and his mouth was in a grimace, teeth clattering. His clothes were plastered to his body, soaked completely through. Water was immediately pooling around his boots. His hair was slicked down and in disarray, sticking to the side of his face. A single thicker strand had come loose and was running down and across his nose. His whole visage was an incredibly shocking difference to his usual put together appearance.

A crowd of servants had appeared in the hall, curious about the noise and who would dare to show up during a storm like this. Some of them screamed and ran when they saw the drules. Of those that did not, Allura looked to them.

“I want guest rooms prepared immediately. And towels. Towels right now!”

Keith was bug eyed. “Allura, ‘guest rooms?’ ‘Towels?’ Why are we not throwing him back out into the rain?”

“Or better yet, the dungeons!” Hunk angrily said.

She frowned at them, but turned to Lotor.

“Why are you here?” she said flatly. He looked at her as if noticing where he was for the first time.

“I… I wanted to speak to you. Properly.” A visible shiver ran through him.

“Well, not now. We’ll talk after you’ve.. settled a bit. Arusian storms are not something to mess with.”

At that, Allura turned on her heel and left Keith to figure out where Lotor would rest.

 

–

 

There was a noise that startled Allura awake. She tried blinking in the dim light, realizing it wasn’t even dawn yet. _Something_ had woken her up. The princess tried to relax, but terror began flooding her veins in the dark room when she couldn’t identify why she had woken.

Remembering she had placed a blaster under her pillow, she slowly slid her hand under to find it. Before she could wrap her hand around it, someone spoke.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

Her blood ran cold. Lotor was in her bedroom.

Allura sighed in exhaustion of him, and sat up slowly. He was hovering near her, his golden eyes catching and glinting in the light.

“What are you doing in here?” she tried to say as authoritative and nonchalant as possible, while her heart beat wildly half in fear.

“I told you, Allura, I came to speak with you.”

She blinked at him. Why did he sound confused?

“Lotor, it’s the middle of the night. How did you get in here with the guards...? No, don’t answer that, go back to bed. We’ll speak in the morning,” she was about to roll over, hoping the dismissal would work on him, but she thought better of it when he didn’t make a move to leave.

She yawned slightly into the back of her hand, and really looked at him. He seemed off.

“Lotor…,” she didn’t even formulate a sentence before he was sitting on her bed next to her.

She realized she was right. Something was off. His eyes were unfocused, and his skin was gleaming slightly. Allura reached out and put a hand on his forehead. She gasped at the contact. His skin was burning up.

“You’re sick!” she blurted out before she could stop her mouth.

“I am _not_ , drules do not get ‘sick,’” he tried to say, but she pursed her lips at him and folded her arms across her chest.

“Please, go back to bed, you need to rest now,” she pleaded at him. He grinned at her, and her stomach dropped at the look. It was foreboding.

Before she knew what was happening, he had launched himself at her, and she was laying on her back, pinned to her bed.

“GET OFF!” she hissed out. He ignored her, and instead nuzzled his head in the space between her neck and shoulder.

She tried to push him, but his hands held her shoulders firm. She resigned herself to waiting for him to tire and then shove him off of her.

Minutes went by, and when he began to relax, she pushed hard. He tumbled to the side of her, and she launched out of her bed. Turning, she growled at her light system to turn on.

The room filled with a dim glow. She blinked to acclimate, and then stared at him. He looked far worse than she imagined. The cold rain really had gotten to him, and fast. His eyes were drooped, barely open anymore. He was visibly feverish, and the most obvious sign that something was wrong was that he hadn’t moved from the position of laying on his side she had pushed him into, arms draped carelessly across the bedspread.

Against all her better nature for this man who had terrorized her entire planet and herself personally, she actually felt a pang of worry over seeing him like this. There might have been guilt, due to the rain and the situation of getting him inside, but she managed to tamper that.

“Are… are you okay?” she asked, her better judgment flying out into the icy rain and wind.

In response, Allura heard something she never expected to hear in her entire life; Lotor made a pathetic whining groan at her.

She blinked several times.

All reason went out the window with her better judgment. Frowning at him, she decided it would be better to get him healthy and out of her castle as soon as possible.

“Fine. Stay here and don’t move,” she said, and grabbed her dressing gown before leaving her rooms.

 

–

 

Half an hour later, Allura returned, carrying a small covered tray. The guards that had been stationed outside her room looked at her oddly. She smiled, and murmured something about a late night snack, and continued into her rooms. Pushing through to her bedroom, she placed the tray on the table near her bed.

Lotor hadn’t moved, and he was clearly asleep. She sighed, lifting the cloche and setting it aside. Moving next to her bed, she looked down at him. He definitely appeared worse, even furrowing his eyebrows in his sleep. He was breathing heavy, and through his mouth. A brief bolt of concern about what would happen if he had caught a truly bad fever and died on Arus ran through her. There would be no question of Zarkon coming and decimating them immediately and thoroughly. That thought spurred her on.

Reaching out, she gently shook him by the shoulder. He made that whining noise again in response.

“Lotor… Prince Lotor… I need you to get up. You need to take medicine. I also brought you some hot tea. Please.” She said the words rather softly, and that spurred him to open his eyes a little to look at her.

“Come on,” she pleaded and started to pull his shoulder. He followed her lead and sat up, wavering slightly.

Allura turned around and pulled the little table close to the bed. He reached out a shaky hand and picked up the teacup on the tray.

“There is also a human tradition of poultry broth with noodles that helps healing, and as you are a guest in my home I demand that you eat it,” she said forcefully, hoping he would still easily comply to her instructions.

Lotor looked up at her unfocused, and she returned it with one she was sure was disapproval Nanny gave her all the time. He turned his head back to the cup in his hands, and took a sip.

“Herbal,” she simply said, but he didn’t even acknowledge her. Instead, he shakily set the cup back down and reached out to the small bowl that held a dose of medication. He glanced up at her for a second, and in a surprisingly swift movement, picked it up, brought it to his lips, and threw it back. He grimaced, and immediately followed it with a swig of the tea.

She felt a bit of relief watching him do all that. And it was followed by more relief when he exhaled and wordlessly picked up the lid on the bowl of soup.

The very… human and normal actions he was moving through were somewhat shocking to the princess. He still looked like Lotor; same clothes, same hair, same golden eyes and inhuman skintone, albeit sickly even for his shade. But he was sitting quietly and merely… drinking tea. Tea she had made for him.

Her strange reverie was broken when he huffed to himself and pulled his gloves off. That was followed by him picking up the soup, and ignoring the spoon, began to drink it from the tilted bowl.

Allura stifled a laugh. After a moment, she realized how tired she still was, and sat next to him on her bed. He seemed harmless enough at the moment.

They sat in silence as he devoured the contents of the bowl. When he set it back down empty, he looked at her.

“Thank you,” he said barely above a whisper, and immediately fell back onto her bed, legs dangling over the side. Alarm filled Allura as she realized he intended to stay instead of moving back to his own provided room.

“Lotor! You need to leave,” she pleaded but he had closed his eyes and had an ever so slight smile on his lips. “Lotor, please…,” she continued to plead and grabbed his forearm.

In response, he pulled her down and rolled them both onto the bed lengthwise, pining her half under him, similar to before.

“You need to go back to your own room,” she said, worry lacing her voice at the entire situation.

He responded with a soft “shhh,” before pushing his nose into her hair. She felt panicked, but calmed a bit when his breathing quickly evened out, signaling he was fast asleep. She had no idea what to do, he was heavy and this situation was downright bizarre.

 

–

 

Sunlight filling Allura’s bedroom woke her up. She immediately was aware of the weight of the drule prince still laying across her, and was filled with confusion at how she could have possibly fallen asleep with him there.

Lotor had shifted in his sleep, and his face was nuzzled against her shoulder, turned towards her. His expression was soft, lacking the discomfort she had seen during the night. She was struck by how young and innocent he appeared slumbering. It was rather unsettling, given everything he had done to her and her planet.

He felt warm against her, and she wondered how sick he still was. Very slowly, she lifted her hand to his forehead to feel for a fever. He felt clammy, but the raging fever was less, possibly gone. She wondered if the reason he claimed “drules do not get sick” was because of how quickly they recovered.

The touch caused him to stir, and he blinked at her lazily. A gentle smile brightened his face, and she was filled with apprehension. Her name was on his lips, barely more than a whisper, before he closed his eyes again.

Allura was now starting to get angry. After everything he had ever done to her, he just showed up, and demanded entry to her castle, and then ended up in her bed, on top of her. It was too much. She moved to reach under her pillow...

“Prince Lotor, if you don’t get off me and leave my bedroom now, I will shoot you,” she said as she felt her fingers touch the cool metal of the blaster.

In one swift action and before she could wrap her fingers around the weapon, he was up and pinning her down. Perched above her, his weight pushed down on the hands holding her wrists.

“That’s not a good idea, Allura,” he said with clear irritation in his voice.

She shot daggers at him, inhaled deeply, and opened her mouth to scream. He anticipated her action, and quickly covered her mouth with his, muffling the sound.

The princess squirmed in an attempt to break free from him, but he held her fast. She started to panic, and tried to scream again. She went stiff when he put his tongue in her open mouth.

Lotor tried coaxing her to kiss him back, running his tongue along hers gently. She briefly considered biting down, but decided she wasn’t interested in his reaction to that, nor was she interesting in explaining to everyone in the castle how she even had the opportunity.

She had never been kissed before. The wet feeling of someone else’s tongue touching hers sent tingles throughout her body. The sheer sensuality of the touch almost made her respond, but knowing that was exactly what he was after angered her and spurred her to inaction.

Eventually, he grew tired of the lack of reception, and pulled his head back from hers. They were glaring at one another. She felt violated, and his ego was incredibly bruised.

“I suggest you leave my planet before I have Keith gut you like a fish,” she said in a nasty voice.

His eyes flashed in response, but he didn’t move.

“You would regret that, and not because of me,” he stated simply, sounded exhausted. There was a moment of silence between them.

“Are you going to explain or should I just kick you in places you won’t like until you unhand me?” she hissed at him.

Lotor sighed, and his head dropped down. She couldn’t see his expression, but everything about him felt deflated.

“Princess Allura, have you at all considered why I came here? No ships, no weapons, no robeasts?” When she didn’t answer, he looked up at her and continued. “Do you recall that lazon factory you destroyed? Well my father rebuilt it. Only drules work there now, all loyal to only him. I’m not even allowed there. He has fifteen robeasts already, and intends to send a full forty here at the same time. He plans to obliterate Arus. Haggar has pleaded a case for not changing the gravity of the area by dusting an entire planet, but he refuses to listen to reason. The caves will not help this time. He will decimate the surface, and then implode the rest with an ion cannon at his leisure.”

Her eyes were wide. Surely he wasn’t serious.

“I begged him, _begged,_ to be granted the opportunity to make one last attempt with you. This is my last chance, Allura. If I don’t return home with you pledged to be my wife and Arus under my command in a week, there won’t _be_ an Arus any longer. I will be forced to watch on the sidelines as he destroys it all. He even threatened to put in an effort to find you, and to punish me for my failures, try to... to force me to… to…,” he struggled to finish and eventually gave up.

Tears filled her eyes and streaked down the sides of her face. His expression softened, and he moved a hand from her wrist to wipe the tears away.

“Come now, my sweet, all is not lost. Not yet. With you by my side, I will be your champion in the court. I won’t let him have Arus, it will be _**ours**_.” He said the last pointedly, and she tried to blink away her tears.

“There is already nearly half a star system loyal to me, being allowed the right isn’t something out of the ordinary. If we step carefully, he will even eventually leave us alone.” He paused, and a new, thoughtful expression was lost on her in her panic. “I have yet to rule anywhere directly, I have no doubts you have much you can teach me about that…,” he trailed off as he picked up her hand and kissed her fingers.

Allura’s mind was awhirl. A tiny voice in her head was reminding her that this could all be a carefully laid trap. The rest of her was worried about if she sent him back to Doom with his tail between his legs and he was telling the truth. She took a deep, calming breath.

“Prince Lotor, you are not making a very good argument for yourself while you continue to hold me pinned to my bed and having just violated my person.”

She watched as her words registered in his head. He quickly let her go and sat back on his heels, actually looking somewhat abashed. The demeanor made her suspicious.

Leaning up on her elbows, she locked her gaze with his. Neither moved, and it was one of the most quiet and tense moments they had ever spent in one another’s presence. She was sure they would have stayed like that for a long time, but there was a knocking on her door and she heard Keith calling to her from the other side.

Allura moved to get up, but before she could, the access code to her door had been overridden and it slid open. Keith, Coran, and Lance rushed into her room. They stopped dead in their tracks.

Allura had moved towards the edge of the bed, but not fast enough. Her feet were still between Lotor’s legs as he sat in the middle of her bed and on the heels of his boots. She realized she was also still wearing her nightgown and robe, not even fully dressed.

“I KNEW IT!” Keith yelled as he pulled out his blaster. In the same instant, Allura hopped from the bed and placed herself in front of Lotor.

“Keith! Stop it, it’s not what you think.”

Before Keith could reply, Coran spoke up.

“Princess, we have looked for Prince Lotor everywhere when it was discovered he was not in his room, and looks as if he never even slept there. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt based on your insistence of hospitality, but-”

“Coran, please! Listen to me. We were _talking_. Everything is fine, isn’t that right, Lotor?” she asked as she turned her head to look at him. He had a morose and pensive expression on his face, and she realized he hadn’t even bothered to do more than turn his head in the direction of the door.

“What’s the point in listening to that slime,” Lance asked with sass in his voice. “You know everything he’s after and he’ll say anything to get what he wants.” His words cut deep, verifying that small voice in her head that had said the same.

“Please,” she began to plead, “everyone just please leave. Lotor came here to speak with me about a serious matter and you are all honestly making it worse. He’s not harming me. I will speak to you all when I have sorted things with him.” Both Coran and Keith looked as if they were going to speak, and the look she gave made them surprisingly made both stay silent.

Following them towards the door, Keith turned briefly and spoke low.

“If he upsets you, just let me know, Allura. Nothing could possible be worth tolerating _him_ ,” he spat out, and she wondered just how off the mark he was with the new information Lotor had given her.

Closing the door, Allura locked it with as high of a command as she could. She knew they would get in again if they wanted, but she hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. Taking a fortifying breath, Allura turned back around.

Lotor had moved to the edge of her bed. His feet were on the floor, and he was twisting his fingers around in an obvious sign of anxiety. Allura was positive in that moment that he was not fabricating anything. He wouldn’t even look at her.

After watching him for a brief time, she decided to change. She moved into her expansive closet, and shut the door behind her. She opted against dresses, and changed into pants for mobility.

Returning to her room, she was a little startled to see while Lotor’s legs were still off her bed, he had had laid back. She walked close to him and looked down. He turned his head slowly, and returned her gaze.

“It would appear I am still a bit tired and… unwell. If I-” he started but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

“I did not just endure _that_ , and will endure more of the same _later_ , for you to just dismiss me now. We are talking about this, and we are talking about this _right now._ ” she said with authority and annoyance. He had the audacity to chuckle while looking worried.


	2. The Solution

Allura sat on the bed next to him, and looked down. He met her gaze, and she was surprised he was still looking so very… pensive.

“You expect me to just believe you? Where is your proof, Lotor?”

She watched him close his eyes and sigh.

“I had hoped you would take me at my word.”

She frowned deeply. “After everything you’ve ever done to me? Why would I _ever_ believe anything you say?”

He sighed and lifted a leg as he sat up. Reaching into his boot, he pulled out a small data stick.

“On here is the report that my father received two days ago. It includes schematics and lists, status reports on the material and how far along they are.”

He paused and looked at her in the most sorrowful way she had ever seen, before continuing in a soft, cracking voice.

“You cannot fight this war forever, Allura. My father already decimated your planet once, he nearly did it again, and then I have very nearly bested you multiple times. If you want honesty from me, I’ll give it to you; there was a few times I willingly stepped back in an effort to maintain the status quo. I was scared, _scared_ what my father would do to you if you lost.”

Allura started to shake. This was all far too much for her to handle. Turning from him, her hands were over her mouth in shock, the data stick forgotten and having fallen into her lap. Nothing he said was false. There had been many clues over many months.

She nearly shrieked when she felt his hand gently touch her elbow.

“I bring you peace, Allura of Arus. And love.”

Her mind and heart couldn’t decide to be furious or exhausted. She was feeling both, very strongly. She turned to him, her face twisting in the anger that was quickly overtaking the exhaustion she felt.

“You expect me to just marry you? I don’t _want_ to marry you. I don’t _want_ to marry the son of the beast who murdered my father for daring to stand up for his people and his family. I don’t _want_ to marry the man who has terrorized me non stop for what feels like my entire life! I can’t even sleep one night without wondering if my bed, my castle, and my planet will exist the next time I _want_ to sleep B _ **ecause of you!**_ _”_

She paused and looked at him, the desire to hurt him strong in her blood and overriding her sense of reason. She ended up doing what she had been avoiding for so long; she screamed at him.

“ **HOW CAN YOU LOVE ME WHEN YOU DON’T EVER CARE WHAT I WANT? I DON’T WANT YOU! _AT ALL_!!”**

Lotor hadn’t moved, but his eyes were wide. She shoved him off of her elbow, and turned to look away, unable to hold back her tears any longer. Realizing she was starting to break into uncontrollable sobs, she stood up and ran into her bathroom. She barely had made it inside before she was crying harder than she had since her father had died. Sliding along the door, she crumpled into a pile on the floor, barely able to breath.

Allura was sure at least an hour had passed before she was calm enough to think clearly. She briefly wondered where the data stick had fallen to when she had run across the room. He had taken great care to bring it to her, even hiding it in a boot so nobody would ever know about it unless he wanted them to, and she had just carelessly let it fall somewhere.

She sighed, trying to breathe properly again. She was leaned against the door, her fingers absent-mindedly tracing the molding on the sides. It was all much bigger than her, and she didn’t want to have to make the choice she knew she had to make.

Slowly standing up, she moved to the sink. Allura avoided looking at herself in the mirror, unable to face her own gaze with what she was about to do. Still moving like molasses, the princess washed her face and tried to make herself at least somewhat presentable.

Leaving the bathroom, she was unnerved by it being so silent. She briefly wondered if Lotor had left, and was about to be relieved to be completely alone, when she spotted him; the prince was still on her bed. Her heart ran through a million emotions as she realized he had balled himself up like a small child would. She was reminded of how she had just been on the floor in her bathroom, upset and overcome with emotions. A thought struck her and she strode over to him.

She stared down, and when he didn’t turn to look at her, she spoke his name softly. He didn’t move. Allura leaned over and put her hand on his shoulder and tried to roll him over. He moved his shoulder to try and throw her off.

“Prince Lotor, I have one question and this determines if I accept you. You must answer me honestly, and you must look me in the eye as you do. Do you understand?”

Her words finally got to him, and he turned and looked up at her. His eyes were glossy and surprisingly bloodshot, confirming her suspicion on how much her words had cut into him.

“Yes,” he said weakly, as he sat up.

She took a deep breath.

“Were you just crying?” she asked softly.

He looked down.

“You agreed to not look away.”

His eyes snapped back at her words, but he remained silent.

“Well? Do you not wish me to accept your political marriage proposal? I cannot answer you if you do not answer me. Were you, or were you not, just crying because of my harsh rejection of you?”

He blinked and was so tense he was lightly shaking.

“Lotor, if you cannot answer me honestly in something like this, I could never trust you enough for marriage. If you’re going to continue to act like this, then leave.”

The prince’s nostrils flared and his eyes were wide before he closed them and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes again, he met and kept her gaze.

“I was.”

“You were what?”

He visibly swallowed.

“I was crying… because… what you said was true and I never realized it. And… and I could hear you so upset, it’s just… I couldn’t...”

Allura felt like a weight had been lifted from her heart. If she could make him realize this, and would listen to her on admitting it, there was a glimmer of hope for the future… even if she had to marry him to save Arus.

Smiling weakly, she reached a hand out and placed it on his cheek.

“Provided the information you brought is accurate, I will marry you and create an alliance to protect Arus from obliteration. We will rule together, but if you so much as try and bully myself or my people, I _will_ have Keith gut you like a fish.”

The smile that blossomed across his face made her wonder how much he had truly heard.

 

–

 

The data had been accurate. They even managed to get in contact with a spy Pollux had placed, confirming everything in the reports and what Prince Lotor had said. Allura decided it would be better to just get it all over with, and marry him before anything could be reneged by King Zarkon.

“Two days.”

Lotor blinked at her, clearly surprised by her insistence on speed.

“Are you sure? We could wed on Doom, and you would get the proper celebration you deserve.”

“No, I want to be wed here, and before all the changes you will undoubtedly bring.”

Lotor frowned, clearly not liking the underlying attitude of her words.

“Whatever you wish, my sweet,” he said as he kissed her fingers. She let him, but had no emotion as it happened... or after.

 

–

 

Allura had managed to avoid everyone after the news had been broken. She couldn’t deal with the questions. If she stayed in her room, she knew someone would find her, so she kept sneaking around and hid in a small part of the library for an entire day.

Any time she tried to focus on the few books she had picked up, her mind wandered, or she completely zoned out. Her life was changing completely, and very soon. She sighed for what felt like the hundredth time, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Lotor speak to her.

“Can you not focus on your book?”

Her eyes snapped to him. He was leaned against the bookcase to her right, arms folded and watching her. She hadn’t even heard him approach.

“N-no, there’s… to be quite honest there’s too many things happening too fast, and it’s overwhelming.” The desire to say something nasty to him was bubbling to the surface, and she bit her tongue to keep from uttering it. If she pushed him too far, he would leave and that would be the end of everything.

“May I sit with you?”

The question startled her. She did nothing but stare at him.

“I… still feel a bit unwell, but I had hoped to spend time with you. Perhaps it will help you… ease into the situation.”

She frowned at him. He was right. Avoiding _him_ would never work when she and her planet would be bound to his side in mere days, and getting used to his presence would alleviate the strain. Allura gestured to the other end of the settee, irritated with herself for not picking a spot with only small chairs.

He slowly sat down, and she was well aware he was giving her plenty of space. The fact he was purposefully not throwing himself at her was startling.

_I guess it doesn’t even matter, he’s already won…_

The thought made her want to cry.

“Are you okay?”

She looked up at him. Forcing herself to smile, she nodded.

“I’ll be fine. Do you need anything to... to recover? I don’t know how the staff are treating you….” She realized that they probably wouldn’t treat him poorly if he was to be their king soon, but subtle jabs might still take place. He wasn’t familiar enough with their culture to avoid everything. Her pilots wouldn’t hesitate to start with him.

“They seem too scared to do anything but comply. In time they will calm.” He paused, looked at her lap. “What are you reading?”

Allura looked down. The princess had quite forgotten the book even existed, let alone what it was about. Flipping it over, she recognized a treasured book on the flora and fauna of Arus. She tilted it so Lotor could read the title.

A small smile graced his lips.

“Perhaps you could read some of it to me? It’s the sort of information I should be learning if I am to be here often.”

She was taken aback. He was actually _trying_.

 

–

 

Lotor telling a small joke about a bird mentioned from the book had caught her off guard.

She had never expected something like that from him. It had been similar to what Lance would say, only the humor lacked any bite.

Allura softly laughed, and only realized what she was doing when she felt him lightly squeeze her upper arm. She looked up. Lotor’s eyes were sparkling as he gazed down at her.

It had relaxed her a bit, to know he could talk to her in that manner, and that her reaction could cause something so profound in him. She turned back to the book and bit her lip.

_One more day..._

 

–

 

Nanny had insisted on her wearing a dress, even when the princess had tried to argue for her being dressed for piloting Blue Lion. She felt sassy even considering it, and liked the idea. There was talk of that old wedding gown that had been displayed about from ages ago, but the princess flat refused. Allura ended up wearing one of her daily gowns with a few alterations. Her handmaidens made her a delicate chaplet of budding wild flowers, and it replaced her normal tiara on her head. The flowers were mostly pinks with a few blues and yellows, and her golden hair cascading down her shoulders. When Allura caught her visage in the mirror, her eyes teared up. Even with the morose expression on her face, she looked beautiful.

The ceremony was small to keep out of the public eye given the history that brought the wedding about. Allura insisted it be done in the throne room. Even if her father wasn’t here to see her marry, she would do it in front of _his_ throne. When she told Lotor her intention, his expression darkened, but he didn’t argue.

They had managed to find a royal mantle for her. It’s small size and off the shoulder shape indicated it had belonged to a queen. Allura silently hoped it belonged to her mother, it’s long train and silent history quietly giving her the strength and courage to do what she alone had to do for her people.

Walking down the aisle towards the dais, in the flower filled throne room, Allura leaned heavily on Coran. She could barely bring herself to move forward. She felt as if she were walking to her execution, and not what should have been a bright and happy future.

He squeezed her hand slightly with his elbow, and she looked up at him. He had a sad but sweet smile on his face.

“You shall do wonderfully, child,” he whispered to her. “I know it’s hard for you to believe, but with the way he looks at you, it’s clear he has come to appreciate the extent of his struggles to reach this point. I have faith you will find some joys in life with him if you let yourself.”

Allura couldn’t stop the tears that ran down her cheeks. They stopped walking, and Coran leaned in close to dab at her face with a handkerchief.

“Have a care, my dear,” he said smiling down at her. “Do not let bitterness ruin your future.”

She nodded slightly, and they continued to meet Prince Lotor at the bottom of the dais.

Approaching the prince, Allura finally had the courage to look up at him. She nearly gasped. He must have sent to Doom for things to wear. She hadn’t even spared a thought for how he would dress. He wore some of his normal attire, but his pants were black with a red stripe of silk down the sides. A red half cape trimmed in gold and black was over one of his shoulders. In lieu of his helmet, he wore a solid gold circlet with tiny spikes on the sides. Intricate scroll work was engraved on the surface that she couldn’t make out at this distance. It caught her by surprise how it accentuated his features and made her realize that despite everything, he was quite handsome.

Allura knew she would never forget the look on his face at that moment for the rest of her life. It held a mixture emotions; the same as when he had been crying, with one of pure joy. And there was a warmth to his eyes she hadn’t seen from him before. Coran must have been looking at Lotor when he spoke... ‘ _the way he looks at you,_ ’ indeed.

With pursed lips, Allura’s father figure put her hand into the prince’s, and disappeared behind her. She swallowed, trying to ignore the Drule honor guard standing behind him, and focused on his face. There was a live feed showing the ceremony to various planets, including Doom and Pollux. She tried hard to completely ignore that, as well.

He took up her other hand in his. The royal pair held one another and recited the pledge of union, mostly words from Arus, and a few she was unfamiliar with that were from his culture. Those included jarring blood oaths.

Smiling at her as he lifted one of her hands, Lotor kissed her her fingers, and slid a bracelet onto her wrist. The design wasn’t a Drule motif. It was covered in a flower pattern and delicately laid gemstones, shell, and lacquer. She could have sworn the style came from Arus. She looked from it to him, and he smiled brighter down at her. It became obvious he must have had this made a long, long time ago in anticipation and hope of her accepting him.

Allura couldn’t decide to be flattered or unnerved. Taking a breath, she took Coran’s advice; she smiled at him and was flattered.


	3. The Denouement

The handmaidens had gone to great effort to make Allura appear as beautiful and innocent as possible for her wedding night. The flower crown still sat upon her head, and she had been made up to show off _her_ youthful bloom. Her gown had been removed and replaced with a delicate and nearly see-through white negligee that Allura covered with her dressing gown the second she was alone again.

She had to control herself not to begin pacing around her own bedroom, or lock herself in the other room and cry into the tub. Once she was deemed “ready,” he would be sent for and it would be their wedding night. She balled her hands into fists and tried to control her tears.

A gentle knock was at the door, and when she didn’t answer, there was another knock. Briefly considering not answering, Allura sighed. She had to get this over with.

Calling for him to enter, the door opened. Lotor slowly entered, and made way over as the door slid shut behind him. Standing before her, he didn’t speak. Allura realized she was staring at the floor, unseeing anything. The tender manner in which he spoke her name made her look up at him.

With a soft smile, he reached out to her. His touch to her cheek was hesitant at first. Pushing her jaw up, he leaned down and kissed her. It was chaste, much like the one at the end of the wedding ceremony. She wondered when he would push for more like the first time he had kissed her.

Leaning back, he looked down at her. His soft movements had left her ill prepared for him suddenly picking her up, and carrying her to the bed. He delicately set her down, and while she adjusted herself, he set about removing his boots.

She watched him, apprehension filling her. When he turned, she met his gaze. He smiled again. Allura kept her eyes with his as he shifted himself. With graceful movements, Lotor reached up and removed the flower chaplet. After dropping it somewhere on the bed without looking, he picked up her hand, and kissed her fingers. His lips continued up her arm and around the bracelet he had placed a few hours previous. _Her husband_ , leaned over her as he kissed up her covered arm until he reached her neck.

Allura tried to remain calm. Lotor kissed her gently on the lips, then moved to kiss at her jawline. She realized it was tender, but it was still _him._ Any apprehension she still felt was magnified by his touch, and made her disgusted and terrified. This is what he always wanted, and she had sold herself to save Arus. Breathing suddenly felt impossible.

The collar of her dressing gown was shifted over, and his lips were making their way down. She felt the tie give way and fabric was moved, and could feel his gaze across her body through the sheer negligee. Her eyes welled with tears.

...and then her clothes were retied and resettled, and she felt his weight lift from the bed. Blinking, Allura looked around.

Lotor was standing facing away from her, hands cupping his nose and mouth.

She softly spoke his name. He didn’t respond.

“Aren’t you going to continue?”

He still didn’t look at her, but his hands dropped to his sides as he answered.

“With you crying? Absolutely not.”

“But I thought….”

He turned to look at her, a harrowing look on his face.

“You might think me ‘a beast,’ but I’m not, Allura. I won’t force myself on you, I never have and I never will.” He picked up his boots and started to put them on, nearly hopping in place in a clear attempt to avoid sitting on the bed and near her.

Allura jumped up to stand next to him.

“What do you mean? We have to consummate this!”

He answered without looking at her. “No, it’s fine. You’ve always let me know you don’t wish for my touch, so I just won’t touch you. Don’t be concerned about it.”

She panicked. They had to do this, it was part of the arrangement. That was the entire point of a marriage. She grabbed onto his arm.

“If we don’t consummate this marriage tonight I will get an annulment and end this entire farce!”

His expression grew dark.

“My father would not spare a second to come and destroy everything here if you so much as whisper that in anyone’s earshot.” She gripped his arm tighter as he continued, speaking lower. “He would absolutely find you, Allura, and he would make sure you knew what it was like to have a drule take you _without_ your permission.”

She looked to the floor, eyes wide and her mind spinning.

“He would find out eventually, anyway, when I don’t… give you any children,” she murmured in a hoarse voice.

He sighed.

“We can figure that out later, we don’t need to worry about it tonight.” He paused, and started to pull her hand off his arm. “I didn’t come to Arus to force my way into your bed, Allura. I could have sat on the sidelines, and grabbed you when Voltron was eventually defeated. Chances were, you and your pilots would survive long enough to be taken as prisoners of war. If I just wanted you for your body, I didn’t need to beg my father, on my hands and knees in front of the entire court, to give Arus clemency if I could get you to accept me. And… to be quite honest, I don’t usually have a problem with getting the attentions of women.”

Allura looked up at him. Despite the sadness in his eyes, he gave her a small smile, and shifted her hand off his arm to be held delicately in his palm. She looked down at where they touched.

“I don’t want to be like this,” she said in a near whisper. “I wanted to try and be at least content, but it’s just...” She couldn’t continue through the tears.

Lotor let go of her hand and pulled her close, gently pressing her head into his shoulder as she cried in his arms.

When her sobs abated, he spoke as he continued to stroke her hair.

“I don’t want you ever to cry from my touch again. For now, we won’t do anything at all. I won’t kiss you anywhere again until you ask me to. And I certainly won’t… well, you don’t need to be concerned over that.”

She pulled her head back and looked up at him.

“Until I ask you?”

“Yes, I’ve decided that you will ask for my touch because I will make you fall in love with me,” he said grinning down at her.

She blinked at him.

“Haven’t you already tried that before?”

He laughed in a way that felt like it defused the situation.

“No, not really. You made it quite clear I was never thinking of how you felt. It will be different this time, and now I have the advantage of being _inside_ your castle on a daily basis.”

Lotor gave her a dangerous look as he reached down and picked up one of her hands. He made it seem like he would kiss her fingers, but he let his mouth hover. Only letting his lips lightly brush in places, his breath fanned across her skin in a way that felt incredibly intimate. She realized he was keeping his word on not kissing her _anywhere_.

“Y-you may kiss my hand, that is acceptable.” He didn’t move. She remember his words. She hadn’t asked.

Her senses were heightened and she was hyper-aware of her fingers being bathed in his warm breath. If this was how he was starting out his _real_ pursuit of her, she wasn’t positive he would fail. Her own breath was nearly catching in her throat.

“Please… will you kiss my fingers?”

Lotor tilted his head every so slightly, and looked up at her. With their eyes locked, he lowered his slightly parted lips, and kissed against her. After a moment, his tongue flicked out and pressed into the space between her fingers. Her eyes went wide. Through his puckered lips she could see his mischievous grin.

_I am done for._

Pulling away, he continued to look at her. There was a nagging reminder that it didn’t matter if they consummated the marriage, it would still be assumed they did. Her emotions had been a roller coaster for the entire day. She tried to calm herself before she decided to push him once more.

“Lotor, will you place me on the bed again?”

He quirked an eyebrow at her before picked her up and laid her back down where she had been. When he went to move away from her, she grabbed his shirt at the shoulders. He looked down at her, his face very close.

“Will you kiss me? Like you mean it?”

Allura watched his eyes widen as he took a deep breath. There was silence as she watched him slowly narrow his eyes into a devious look.

“Which set of lips would you like me to kiss?”

She blinked at him for a moment before understanding dawned on her. She felt her face grow warm, but she didn’t look away.

“Both.”

The words barely left her before his mouth crashed against hers.

He had clearly been holding back. His tongue pushed her lips apart, and she learned new sensations she had never realized existed as she returned his touch. Lotor pulled back when they were both breathless, and he grinned down at her as he struggled to talk.

“Did you still want me to kiss your other lips?”

He was so close to her, and so much more handsome when she could feel his breath upon her skin. She felt positively shameless with lust from his tongue in her mouth and him hovering over her. Allura bit her lip. Before she could say anything, he spoke again.

“You are allowed to want things from me, my wife.” Her heart fluttered. This was the first time he had called her that, and it had been in such a soft manner. The other part of Coran’s words from the ceremony echoed in her head…

“ _...you will find some joys in life with him if you let yourself.”_

She swallowed hard before answering.

“I want you to kiss me there like you just kissed my mouth.”

His face lit up with a wide grin.

 

–

 

It wasn’t even ten minutes later, and Allura felt like she was about to sing. All the stress of the situation beginning from when he had first shown up was gone, and the only thing she was aware of any longer was his tongue on and inside of her.

When she laid back and tried to catch her breath again, Lotor began kissing up her inner thigh to her knee. She began to laugh.

“I’m finding I don’t remember what I was so worried over.” She felt and heard him chuckle against her leg in response. “Though,” she said as she sat up on her elbows, “I don’t believe I asked you to kiss my leg.”

His smile fell, and it made her laugh. Reaching forward, she traced his jawline with a finger.

“It seems I quite like your lips on me, no matter where they are. Will you continue?”

Lotor’s grin returned and he kissed her knee while keeping her eye.

Eventually, he moved his mouth back up her leg, and continued across her hip and stomach. He briefly kissed around her cleavage, but then moved towards her neck. He nipped and wetly left a trail up to her ear. After a quick peck, he rolled her over onto him, and pulled the blanket up and around them.

“Sleep now, my darling wife,” he whispered into her ear.

Allura pulled her head back and looked at him.

“Lotor, we nee-” she was cut off by his lips pressing against hers.

When he pulled back, he ran his hand along her hair.

“Sleep.”

She sighed but laid herself against his chest. His heart was beating rapidly, and it gave her a small thrill to know she had done that to him.

After the relaxation from the very stressful day, she fell asleep quickly.

 

–

 

Allura woke in the dimly lit room. It took her a moment to realize where she was and what had happened. The feeling of Lotor’s arm across her was a new, warm sensation. She was not at all used to sleeping with someone else in her bed.

Lifting her head, she watched Lotor. His expression was soft in slumber, and she couldn’t stop thinking about how he had just thrust himself into this entire situation, and trusted her enough to be nearly alone on her planet and asleep in her bed.

She tried to shake away the negative feelings, it was pushing her back into a mindset she didn’t want to return to. She kept observing him.

At some point while she slept, he had taken off his shirt, and she was laying against his skin. Once more she couldn’t stop herself from considering how she had lucked out in that at least her political marriage gave her a husband that was nice to look at. Even his nose was far cuter than most of those she had seen from the drules. His body was well toned, and she realized she had unconsciously reached out and touched the muscles along his chest.

His words echoed in her mind. _“You are allowed to want things from me, my wife.”_

It spurred her on, and she began to run her hand down along his abdomen. He made a soft noise in his sleep at her touch. Her hand moved back up and across to his arms. She felt her whole body go warmer as her fingers ran down his muscular arm. He had such raw energy and power, and he had nearly always used it to just corner her to talk. He’d never managed to take her back to Doom by sheer force, and looking at him now, it seemed unlikely he hadn’t been able to if he had truly wanted.

He made a noise and a sigh, and she glanced back to his face. His eyes were not quite open. She whispered his name, and a soft smile graced his lips as he lazily looked up at her through half opened eyelids.

It was the most gentle, kind, and content look she had ever seen on his face. She moved her hand to touch his cheek, and the warmth of his skin made her wonder if he had a fever.

“How do you feel? You seem too warm.”

He made a long sigh.

“Lotor….”

“I’ll be fine,” he murmured and leaned his head into her hand as he closed his eyes.

The prince was relaxed… far more than he had for days. The realization hit her, and she stopped breathing while she tried to think. _He’_ _s_ _been stressed_ _..._

While still unwell, he had been dealing with all of this. All of her ire and disdain, nearly alone on a planet he had to know hated him, and a wedding for _her_ political gains. Lotor had the fortitude to get through all of it to end up here. He had begged to save Arus... to save her. Under the cloak of night, it was suddenly all incredibly romantic.

“Lotor… I’m sorry.”

His eyes opened and he looked at her, clearly confused.

“I realize that… you’ve been dealing with a lot, haven’t you? I yelled at you with a meanness I have never used at anyone else before. And you’ve been sick the whole time. And alone.” She sighed and looked away from him. “I was very cruel to you when you came to protect me.”

Suddenly, his hand was over hers on his cheek, and she looked back to him. He whispered her name.

“I’m so sorry, Lotor.”

Through her own tears, she swore his eyes were filled with his own. His other hand went to her back, and he pulled her down to his shoulder. Allura cried hard, half laying on him.

 

–

 

The sun lightening the sky found the couple talking softly. She giggled as she looked up at him, and he poked her nose with his finger. Moving to lay on top of him completely, Allura placed her hands on his shoulders, and looked up at him with her chin resting on his chest. He smiled at her, and tenderly massaged at her back.

“Lotor, how did… your father react?”

His hands ceased moving, and he laughed.

“Well, my sweet, he didn’t believe me at first. When I later sent for my mother’s marriage bracelet and my crown, he realized the situation was serious. I don’t recall ever seeing him so solemn.”

She looked away and stared at the piece of jewelry on her wrist.

“Your… mother’s…”

He smiled softly at her.

“I had some changes made to it, things I thought you might like instead. A few gems were removed, they seemed a little too ostentatious for your taste.”

Her heart was in turmoil. Lotor had done something so incredibly sweet, but on the assumption he would pressure her into being with him. She could feel herself getting worked up, and his hand brushing her cheek brought her out of her fretting.

“It was done recently. I anticipated my father’s intention, as much as he tried to hide it from me.”

Allura sighed and laid her head down on him. She calmed herself by listening to his steady heartbeat.

She could still see the bracelet on her wrist. It was catching the light as the room began to brighten with the full dawn. It was a solid piece, but had a daintiness to it. Thinking about how this had belonged to the woman who had birthed him, and she assumed raised him.

_His mother’s marriage bracelet._

It had belonged to a woman who had managed to deal with someone far worse than Lotor.

Her son had done awful things before, but his feelings had been the one thing that saved her and her entire planet. Allura couldn’t help but feel an appreciation for this woman she would never meet. Wearing her jewelry as a token from him felt like an honor. She lifted her head to look at him again.

“I won’t cry now.”

“What?”

“If you touch me. I won’t cry. It’s... okay, now. Please, we need to… to...”

He frowned. “Allura, I don’t think we should.”

“It’s better to get the pain over with now, I think.”

“Pain?”

“Yes, it hurts, and I-” he cut her off with a finger to her mouth.

“It shouldn’t hurt. Not much, anyway, if I’m properly paying attention to you.”

She had a bewildered expression on her face.

“But Nanny said it would hurt, and there would be blood…,” she trailed off, speaking against his finger.

“There won’t be blood, I’ll make sure of it.”

Allura felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Well then, _husband_ , will you make me fully yours?”

His eyes went wide and he grinned at her. It had been a question.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded while smiling at him. Before she even had time to gasp, he had switched their positions on her bed.

“Well then, my sweet, prepare yourself to really become mine,” he said before he kissed her in a way that made her toes curl.

Then his lips were everywhere on her, and had her gasping his name before he even took his pants off.

Lotor had to tell her to relax _three times_ before she finally did. It hurt a little, but Allura didn’t tell him because she knew he would stop. She found the experience strange and rather uncomfortable for a while, but towards the end, she felt bereft when he pulled away from her before he was done.

“I don’t understand.”

He smiled.

“I want you to love me before you carry our first child.”

Her heart felt like it might burst already. Ever since he had cried alone in her bed, and then made her laugh in the library, she had been quickly opening up to him. She knew it wouldn’t be long before she did love him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
